Trump ‘flexible’ on size of RNC as virus cases surge in Florida, lawmakers shy away

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump says he’s “flexible” on the size of the Republican National Convention in Jacksonville, Florida, as a growing number of Senate Republicans talk about skipping the event.

Asked in an interview Tuesday whether he’d want as big an event if the state’s coronavirus cases continue to surge, Trump replied that the decision “really depends on the timing.”

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The remark on Gray Television’s “Full Court Press with Greta Van Susteren” came as Republican senators including Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Lamar Alexander of Tennessee announced they would stay away from the event.

Both senators are in their 80s, and the virus takes a high toll on older people.  

This comes after Republicans opted to move the main event of the RNC out of Charlotte to Jacksonville, Florida.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper voiced concerns about holding a full-scale convention. The governor balked at promising Trump a full-blown convention in Charlotte without social distancing measures during the coronavirus pandemic.

In a phone call between President Donald Trump and Governor Roy Cooper, Trump expressed his desire to address a large, enthusiastic crowd saying, “I don’t want to be sitting in a place that’s 50 percent empty.”

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